WookieeJedi

My earlier post was in error, it was a Rage Hawg in pearl, not the space monkey. I haven't even opened the space monkeys yet.

Love the hat.

I went yesterday, got rained on and found the fish firmly locked into a post-spawn pattern. That can be miserable on my lake, so this weekend I'm doing my honey-dos and working on the Jeep. Next week is looking pretty good if the warm weather persists.

Most of the egg sacks on DFW bass are fake anyway...

What kind of surface temps are you getting down there? I was really surprised to get a 74.5 yesterday on Lake Claiborne. It was even raining all day, and it was still really warm. If this keeps up, we will be on a summer pattern in 2 weeks.

About 3.5 on a space monkey on a shaky-head. not much, but I just started using the Rage lures. I got a pack of Rage Craws to pit against my Speed Craws this year. I'm keeping score. May the best lure win!

I have some favorite colors that I like to use first in certain situations, but if my favorites don't produce, I will T-rig or snap-weight (jika) rig anything made of soft plastic. And I do mean anything. I also carry one of those retractable-blade box cutters in my box so I can customize my lures to fit my needs. I always like to think my favorite lure is the one on the end of the rod I am fishing with.

Welcome! Good to see another kayaker aboard.

Amber.

Y'all can keep those big, toothy jackfish! This time of year, they are a menace to us Southern folk who don't use steel leaders on our lures. They do put up one hell of a fight, though. I caught a big one a few years ago, and thought it would go 6 pounds. Then I took it out of the water and it weighed 3.5. No fish that long should only weigh 3.5.

Come to think of it, my brother did hang his mounts on either side of his fireplace. I suppose that would do it.

http://neworleanscitypark.com/fishrodeo.html The Bass Rodeo is this weekend at NOLA City Park. It isn't the most glamourous tournament around, but it has been going longer than any other. Bank fishing only, and definitely kid-friendly. I won't make it this year, but I was in town last week and fished the lagoons. There are some giant bass in the north lagoons. Don't miss it if you are in town!

I decided when the fiberglass replicas came out that I would get it done that way when the time came. My brother had a couple of skin mounts done back in the early 90's and they have not fared well over time. The fake ones stay nice for a long time. My goal for a mount is 10 or over, so it hasn't come up yet. When I do get that fish on the wall, I'm putting a pic of the fish with it along with the measurements, just so no one questions the catch. I also like the option of releasing a big fish like that alive. I don't object to keeping and eating fish, but those big ones are not as tasty, and I would rather leave them in the lake to grow and breed.

I never liked the way foam grips feel in my hands, so I wrapped hockey tape on the foam parts. I even did a wrap over a twist to give it some relief. So far, so good.

You don't need to be in perch water, we don't have any perch down here, and the pike (jackfish to us) will mug them. I use the firetiger color, but mostly in dirty water, or offshore with a ratltrap or deep diver. Never in the spring, in clear water, over shallow grass; you are just asking for it. I may just go against this advice this week, tho, my local lake holds some bigger pike (for us) in one area, and the state record is not huge (5.75lbs).

That's a really tough question! AR has some of my favorite water. Ouachita is great, and you can catch a variety of fish there. There are some huge spotted bass in there too. Greers Ferry is a good one too. Some others I like are Greeson, Bull Shoals, and the Buffalo River. Both Greers and Ouachita are beautiful lakes, too. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Millwood, I might just have to make the trip.

I recently started training myself to use a spinnerbait. While I don't leave other lures at home, I keep a spinnerbait tied on to one rod all the time, just to remind me to use it and learn it.

I still use them, and not just because I bought 5 pounds of them 10 years ago and still have some left. I still use the "old" colors like black/blue curly tail, purple/ white tail, and grape. Fish don't seem to care if the worm is out of style.

5 just for worms. If you meant all soft plastics, then over 20.

She got it on an in-line at City Park in New Orleans. Got her second one a few casts later.

Rio Grande Cichlid from City Park in New Orleans. This is the best color shot I could get. It shows off the blue a little better.

Shakespeare Alpha 1982. I still have it, and it still works. No magnets, just your thumb and spool tension. I still have one of those Ryobi micro V-mags and it's Lew's clone. The Lew's still works thanks to donor parts from the Ryobi.

Is the lake closed completely, or just the launches, or for motorboat traffic? Sometimes they will shut one down to motorboats because of the wakes, but it is still OK to use a kayak or canoe. Many years ago, they closed a D'Arbonne Lake to motorboat traffic and closed the launches due to flooding, but you could still fish from a boat under paddle-power legally. I'll never forget catching fish out of my neighbor's tomato patch.

I like blade baits because they don't take up a lot of room in the box, they cast well, and they catch fish. I mostly use them on schoolies, and for vertical jigging. I have some older *** Blades, but I started using one called a Cicada about 3 years ago, and it seems to do a little better than the *** Blades when I let it fall. They make a really tiny one that is great on trout and panfish on an ultralight. I use any color as long as it is silver/blue or silver/red.

Chrome/blue is number one, but Toledo Gold or some other red or craw color is good too. If you have a good bite going, then it stops when clouds obscure the sun, it is likely the fishes' eyes have not adjusted to the light change. When that happens, switch colors until you find a winner, I start with Toledo Gold, then non-chrome fire tiger, then pearl/orange belly. I have had days where the sun was in and out, and they would only bite either on sun or shade, and any change shut them off. When they do that, get a sammich.